St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-08-04
ANOTHER AWFUL FATALITY
Six Hen Crushed to Death at the st.
Anthony Elevator Ruins in
Minneapolis.
a Possibility That One or Even Two
More Bodies May Be Still in
the Ruins.
an Avalanche of Steaming Wheat and
Hot Stone Poured Upon GanJ
of Sh0velers.
gGw the Calamity 0ccurred---Affecting
Scenes at the Identification of
the Remains.

a terrible fatality occurred early yes
terday morning at the ruins of the St.
Anthony elevator, in Southeast Mime
apolis. resulting in very heavy loss of
life. Through the unforeseen crushing
of wall at least seven men were en-
tOmOed and only one rescued alive. Six
cOFpSes were taken from the trench, and
it is doubtful, even yet,if the full extent
of the calamity is known. The scene Of
the disaster was the ruin of the large
annex of the st. Anthony elevator, which
burned two weeks ago. The 100000 or
10000 bushels of wheat it contained
were sold last week to a syndicate
headed by Pratt, Porter IL Co.. and the
purchasers had over 100 men engaged in
removing the wheat to ears. About
thirty of them were at work on the south
side of the building and near its center,
where the accident occurred. A train
of cars stood on the Northern Pacific
track to receive the wheat which the
men, divided into three gangs, loaded
into it. Ten men ShOveled the grain
into baskets, which ten more carried to
the cars, the remainder empting and re-
turning them. The wheat had overfiOwed
stone wall, which was a semi-founda-
ton of the elevator, and this wheat, par
TALLY cooled, was being first removed.
Nine men were at work under the walls,
and John Grimbley, the timekeeper, had
just taken the names, when a cry of
warning came from the train above.
The wall was seen to totter, and in an
instant section nearly sixty feet in
length had fallen over, burying the men
beneath its ruins. 1t was followed by
deluge of wheat, some of it
NEARLY RED HOT,
which rOured over the spot and covered
it as the waters close when a vessel
founders. With cry of horror the re-
naming wOrkmen fed from the spot
until assured the danger was over, when
rapid work for the recovery of the bod
les was begun. Andrew Hendricks was
at work partially up the bank, and es-
capped the full force of the fall. He was
taken out bruised and bleeding, but will
recover. 1t was evident from the first
that nothing but dead bodies would be
rescued from the smoking mass of
debris, but the men worked with
will, cooling with cOpious
floods of water the hot stones and
sinking wheat. In two hours six bodies
had been exhumed and the bottom of
the trench had not been reached. The
corpses were terribly mutilated and it
was evident death had been instanta-
neOus. From the system OF time-keep-
ing it was impossible to tell how many
men had been at work, as well as who
they were, so while the task of remov-
ing the wheat went on, the spot was
surrounded by an anxious crowd, in
Guiding many from the city, where
word had at once been sent. The pa
troll wagon arrived and removed the
bodies to the city, while the search
went on. T. II. Trett. a brakeman,
who saw the wall fall, was positive nine
men had been overwhelmed and
the search was kept up all day,
without success. The time book
showed the names of John Gunderson
and Ole Swat, but it was impossible to
tell whether they had come to work
yesterday morning, as the accident
happened before the time keeper made
his rounds. At 6 o'clock no more
bodies had been discovered, but crew
of men had been at work all night,
without having had, up to this time
made any fresh discoveries.
The spot was visited by thousands of
people during the day and the terrible
accident created a profound impress
sion.